1. Field of the Invention
A clamp useful for connecting two articles, preferably metal forming panels used for forming concrete, is provided which includes a frame having a first jaw and a slider having a second jaw. The slider may be fixed relative to the frame by a wedge inserted to engage and hold the jaws fast against one or more members to be clamped, or in an alternative embodiment alternatively by an arm which uses a camming action hold the jaws in position.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Forming panels of steel or aluminum are of used for casting walls and other parts of a building of concrete or other cementatious material. These forming panels are often placed side-by-side or at angles to make up a forming wall, and two forming walls are placed in opposition to provide a concrete-receiving channel. Concrete is poured into the channel, allowed to cure to a self-sustaining condition, and the forming panels are then removed and reused. Such forming systems are generally shown and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,708,315, 4,744,541, 4,958,800, 4,976,401, 4,978,099, 5,058,855, 5,080,321, 5,174,909, 5,184,439, 5,288,051, 5,965,053, 6,935,607 and 7,144,530, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Various methods are used to hold forming panels in position. Opposing forms are often connected by tie bars and tie rods. Many forming panels include frames having side rails with holes. When the holes are aligned, pins and wedges are frequently used to hold together adjacent forms. The pins typically have a shank with a slot extending diametrically through the slot. After the pin is inserted through the holes, a wedge is inserted in the slot and hammered into place to hold the pin in position and the adjacent forming panels in side-by-side adjacency. Other fasteners, such as, for example, latching bolt assemblies such as those shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,855, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, are also used to connect various forming panels.
However, circumstances may arise when the use of pin-type connections are not appropriate. For example, it may be necessary to temporarily couple two forming panels which do not have holes in their side rails. It may arise that the holes in the side rails cannot be aligned, or that a pin-type connection is otherwise not desired. For these reasons, a need has been developed for an alternate type of coupler useful for holding together two forming panels in side-by-side orientation.